Roxio Inc has announced that they will relaunch Napster before Christmas having signed deals with all the majors and key independents. The service is set to launch with around 500,000 tracks which will be available through individual track downloads and monthly subscriptions - a few free downloads should be available too.
Napster was started by college student Shawn Fanning back in the late nineties, of course, aiming to provide a way for like-minded music fans to connect. But when it won proper commercial backing Napster quickly became the centre of the downloading controversy leading to numerous crippling lawsuits. Napster eventually filed for bankruptcy last year – despite having been leant millions by BMG in a bid to develop a legal version of the service. Roxio bought the Napster brand in the subsequent bankruptcy auction.
Roxio Inc chairman and CEO, Chris Corog said, "Napster 2.0 is being built from the ground up to reflect the essence of independence and innovation that the brand is known for. Consumers want flexibility, and for the first time they will not have to choose between downloads or subscriptions. Napster 2.0 will allow music fans to do both, putting the power where it belongs - in the hands of consumers."